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Nov 05 2020
COVID-19Hiring

Q&A: Completing Form I-9 when different people inspect documents

Question: We hired an employee a few months ago who has been working remotely during the pandemic. Our HR manager remotely inspected the Form I-9 verification documents at the time of hire. The employee will now be reporting to a physical location and the onsite manager will be inspecting the Form I-9 verification documents in-person….

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Nov 05 2020
COVID-19OregonSafety and Health

OREGON: Face covering requirements updated for all workplaces

Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recently revised the statewide face covering guidance, which impacts all employers in the state. The new guidance mandates that face coverings be worn in all “public and private workplaces,” including any indoor or outdoor place where people work. As we previously reported, private offices had been…

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Oct 15 2020
Leave LawsWashington

WASHINGTON: More rule changes for Paid Family and Medical Leave

The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) continues to tinker with the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) rules, finalizing more changes on October 2, 2020. These latest rules mainly relate to legislative changes passed this year in SHB 2614 and minor tweaks to a handful of definitions. The revised rules are posted on ESD’s…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19Hiring

Form I-9 remote inspection extended until November 19, 2020

The Department of Homeland Security has again extended its temporary relaxation of the standards for physically inspecting a new worker's employment eligibility documents when completing the Form I-9. This is the fifth extension of the relaxed standard, which will now expire on November 19, 2020. As we originally reported, Homeland Security relaxed the requirement for employers operating remotely and…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19CaliforniaSafety and Health

CALIFORNIA: New COVID-19 exposure notice and reporting obligations

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 685, which will require employers to provide employees with specific notice after becoming aware of a potential COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. The new law also gives the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CalOSHA) the authority to shut down a facility if it’s deemed to be an imminent…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19CaliforniaDisability

CALIFORNIA: Workers’ comp presumed for COVID-19 illness

California employees who test positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus) will have an easier time getting workers’ compensation benefits thanks to Senate Bill 1159, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 17, 2020. As we previously reported, Governor Newsom issued an executive order in May creating this same presumption, but that order expired in July. The new…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19CaliforniaLeave Laws

CALIFORNIA: New required COVID-19 paid sick leave posters released

As we previously reported, a recent California law expanded COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) to all California employees, which has resulted in a new required posting for covered employers, as well as an updated SPSL poster for food sector workers. Pursuant to an executive order that  Governor Newsom signed in April, food sector workers…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19CaliforniaLeave Laws

CALIFORNIA: Sacramento County implements paid sick leave law

Effective October 1, 2020, covered employers in unincorporated Sacramento County must provide paid sick leave to eligible workers for qualifying, COVID-19-related reasons, and all employers in unincorporated Sacramento County must implement specific COVID-19-related safety protocols and practices in their facilities. Under the Sacramento County Worker Protection, Health and Safety Act of 2020, covered employers must…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19Leave LawsOregon

OREGON: State launches new COVID-19 temporary paid leave program

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has begun accepting applications for a new COVID-19 paid sick leave benefit of $120 per-day for up to 10 days. The payments are available when an employee must miss work because they have been advised by a doctor or health official to quarantine because of COVID-19 (coronavirus)…

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Oct 01 2020
COVID-19CaliforniaHiring

CALIFORNIA: San Francisco enacts additional COVID-19 job protections

Effective September 11, 2020, employers in San Francisco face steep penalties if they take adverse action against workers who are absent or request time off because they test positive for COVID-19, or because they isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 symptoms or exposure. The new ordinance offers job protections for job applicants and “workers,” which…

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Sep 17 2020
COVID-19Leave LawsOregon

OREGON: OFLA sick child leave for school closures now permanent

Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has made permanent its rule that employees can use the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA)’s sick child leave provisions for leave to care for a child whose school or place of care is closed due to a statewide public health emergency. As we previously reported, BOLI announced an…

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Sep 17 2020
COVID-19Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: COVID-19 temporary worker housing rules updated

On September 10, 2020, Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) and the Department of Health (DOH) extended and modified existing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety rules for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry. As a reminder, the larger framework for agriculture COVID-19 safety compliance in Washington continues to be Proclamation 20-57.1, and the implementing…

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